WAX FAQS AND HACKS
• Wild Violet – low temperature strip wax with a fluid, gel like texture and glittery purple colour.
• River Moss – vegan friendly, low temperature strip wax with a creamy consistency and shiny forest green colour.
• Blue Orchid – roller wax with a fluid, gel-like texture and shimmering turquoise colour.
• Mulberry – fast-setting peelable wax with a fluid, gellike consistency and sparkling burgundy colour. Ideal for confident therapists who like a thinner application.
• Seagrass – vegan friendly, fast-setting peelable wax with a creamy texture and opalescent pale green colour. Perfect for therapists who prefer a thicker application.
If you do use oil, you need only the tiniest amount. When using strip wax, always blot any excess oil with a tissue or cotton first, or your wax will simply slide about during application and won’t stick to the hair. For Mulberry and Seagrass, apply just one spritz of oil onto a cotton pad, wipe over the skin and then use the dry side to remove any surplus.
The advanced formulations of Mulberry and Seagrass mean that they aren’t ‘sticky’ waxes. This is one of the reasons why they are both so comfortable when removed. This also means that they often prefer powder rather than oil as a pre-wax barrier (especially on the face), so do bear this in mind if you are struggling to get all of the hair out.
Insider tip: our Nourishing Body Oil is specially designed to provide a gentle lipid barrier. If you are using a heavier oil from another brand and find your Ashmira waxes aren’t performing as expected, we advise wiping most of the oil off or switching to powder before applying any wax.
(1) The wax isn’t hot enough. If you are used to working with a very low temperature wax, especially cream waxes, Mulberry and Seagrass may initially feel warmer by comparison. Don’t let this scare you off! Wax must never feel uncomfortably hot, but it does need to be warm enough to spread smoothly and this may require a tweak to your heater settings. Remember: stir any unmelted lumps through to get your wax smooth and glossy. If you find your non-Ashmira warmer isn’t heating things evenly (e.g. one side of the pot is solid while the other is molten, there is a thick disc of unmelted wax on top of runny wax, or the wax alternates between runny and gooey with no changes to the dial), this will also cause issues as you will struggle to get the wax to the right working consistency.
(2) Not enough pressure during application. Mulberry and Seagrass aren’t sticky, so you need to use firm pressure with your spatula to ensure wax is pressed all the way down to the skin during application. This will ensure a thorough coating of all the hairs.
(3) Application is too slow. Mulberry and Seagrass both set extremely quickly. Know exactly where you want to go before you scoop your wax out of the pot. If you spend too long twirling the spatula or hesitate with your application, the wax will start to set before it even hits the skin and won’t be able to wrap around the hair effectively.
(4) Too much moisture or oil on the skin. Both perspiration and oil will interfere with the wax. Cleanse and dry the skin thoroughly before application. Use a light dusting of Botanical Skin Powder if necessary – powder is especially useful when waxing areas of the body that are naturally oilier or warmer, such as the face, underarms, bikini line and bottom.
Insider tip: Mulberry peelable wax can be applied thinly, whereas Seagrass prefers a thicker application. As a general rule of thumb, if you can still see the skin and hair through Seagrass, it needs to be thicker.
Mulberry and Seagrass: decant your wax beads into either an empty tin or the removable metal liner that comes with your warmer. Spare tins and liners can be purchased from Ashmira should you ever want to change waxes. Never pour wax directly into the heating chamber itself, as this will damage your warmer. Always ensure wax is either in a tin or a removable metal liner.
Insider tip: place a disposable Ashmira drip collar around the neck of your tin or liner to protect your heater from messy wax drips
If speed heating your wax: use the ‘fast heat’ function on your digital heater twice, or turn the thermostat on your analog heater up to max for 10-15 minutes so that most of the wax is melted. Give it a really good stir to distribute the heat evenly and banish any remaining balls of unmelted wax, then turn the dial down and give it at least 5 minutes to cool down before applying it to a customer.
As a rough guide, these are the temperature settings for a
range of different heaters:
Wild Violet and River Moss
Ashmira heater: around 5
1000cc analog heater: around 3
1000cc digital heater: low to mid 60s
Mulberry and Seagrass
Ashmira heater: around 4
1000cc analog heater: just under 3
Digital heater: mid to high 50s
These are only guidelines: every warmer is different! Do bear in mind that if you are using your peelable wax beads in a tin or metal insert that doesn’t sit flush with the walls of your heater, you may need to turn the dial up to compensate. The temperature of your room and the length of time you have the lid off the heater will also have an impact, so don’t be afraid to nudge the thermostat up or down if things don’t seem quite right.
Be guided by the texture of your wax and adjust the thermostat as needed. At the right working consistency, Wild Violet and River Moss should be fluid, like single cream or pancake batter, but not so runny that wax drips off the spatula like water. Mulberry and Seagrass will be smooth and glossy in the pot with the consistency of runny honey. All Ashmira waxes should spread easily without any drag. They should feel pleasantly warm on the skin, but never uncomfortably hot.
Insider tip: regardless of whether you are using strip or peelable wax, always make sure you have enough melted wax to start your day with. Wherever possible, avoid letting your wax get below the halfway point of the pot, as this makes it trickier to maintain the correct temperature. You also don’t want too much of a ‘waxberg’ in your peelable wax, as this will mean you are constantly turning the heat up to get more melted wax (which can lead to hot spots), then turning it back down again to cool the wax (and things get too thick). It’s a vicious circle. Start with enough melted wax from the word go and you will find things a lot easier.
Don’t let this throw you, just give things a quick stir and it’ll be right as rain. The film will be especially noticeable in the winter or if your room is cold. We recommend leaving the lid on your heater when not in use, to help minimise this.